Rip and Tayshaun, who are both talented players, are too much like Chauncey when it comes to leadership. They'll say all the right things, put up good numbers but rarely will they put themselves - or their teammates - on Front Street.

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I'd tend to agree with that. The fact that the Pistons have a tri-headed leadership structure (all three are captains) seems a little overboard to me.

"Look, I'm not trying to be an ass, I promise you," Iverson said in the visiting locker room at Staples Center before getting three stitches in his chin courtesy of an accidental elbow by Corey Maggette on Maggette's drive to the hoop. "But I don't care nothing about that.

"I don't care who you're playing against, if you're playing a little rec-league team. The effort is supposed to be there every night. So it's not a big thing for me. To say, 'Yeah, we gave effort' or whatever, you're supposed to give effort. But when you go out and play basketball, you're supposed to win the basketball game.

"If you're satisfied the effort that you give, then some positive things are supposed to happen, and the most positive thing that can happen is to win... . You don't pay nobody a million dollars, a whole bunch of money, then not give effort."

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Every great team has a leader or two. Guys who aren't afraid to say what must be said, either behind closed doors or (EGAD!) in the press.

Jordan was an absolute blabbermouth in front of a microphone, reaming his teammates after the Bulls went down 2-0 to the Pistons in the 1990 ECF. They went on to take the series to 7 games.

On some teams, the dominant personality is the coach. I believe the Spurs are like this. If people think Larry Brown was tough on his players, they need look no further than his friend in San Antonio, Gregg Popovich. Pop regularly calls out players who play poorly, and it doesn't matter who is listening. This offseason, Beno Udrih's manhood was questioned multiple times by Popovich in the San Antonio Express-News.

I've always believed that a team needs a healthy dose of unhealthy tension to create a championship dynamic. Bird did it in Boston, Riley has done it at all of his stops. Thomas, Mahorn and Laimbeer ruled the Pistons locker room in the old days, at times, getting into altercations with teammates over quality of play.

This Piston team needs someone to catch fire and ignite his teammates. A player, a coach, heck even Joe Dumars the GM.

Being nice guys and great citizens is good fun and very fan friendly. But at the end of the day, nice guys generally don't win. It seems to me that the Pistons current leadership is too reflective of Joe's personality and that can be a fatal flaw. It cannot be easy to import a leader.

We'd love to have a bunch of smiling nice guys who never get techs, and never argue with their coach building towards the playoffs. We'd love for our coach to spread the minutes around and hug all of his players on the sideline.

I absolutely agree wholeheartedly Roscoe. I really didn't think about that factor, but now since you have brought it up. lets explore this thing a little further.....

You are right, Billups is a yes man...it's always "well man we need to do this and well man we need to that......Rip is a Yesssirrr man, it aint' right if it ain't ruff, and that's the end of it......Tay says nothing. You have three leaders of a team who really don't possess that umph that you need and I can't see any of them calling out their teamates. You're right, they have JD's personality and it could be poison.

Love the AI script, now that's what I am talking about, the doctor is sewing stitches in his mouth and he's giving an interview about what it takes to win.

You got to earn the right to do it though by bringing it every night. Like AI. Like Ben used to do. Step one is someone needs to find some guts (and leave it all on the floor for once), step two is to point out the lack of same in others. Too many hollow midsections right now which may be why Joe D or Flip, or even Cowens or Porter needs to step up. (Assuming they aren't and we just don't hear about it.)

That's what we lost when Ben left. I still think we have the players to win a championship, but now that we have lost Ben and Larry Brown we have lost 2 of this Piston team's best leaders. The only one left on this team who I think can be a great leader is not Chauncey, but Sheed. Sheed is more of an emotional leader though. What this team needs is a guy to tell them how it is. This team can get complacent very quickly, but I have no idea who will be this leader for the Pistons this season. I don't know why but I think Rip might be this vocal leader.

On this current team - It has to comre from Sheed. Who else? It is obvious thus far this season that when he brings it good things happen. However, can he bring it every night?

Moreover, if Sheed would bring it, is he the person to call out his teammates on their play? He could be, but IMO it would never happen. And that`s too bad.

If Sheed could use some of that energy he uses arguing with the refs and direct it towards his play and the play of his team, it could be a good thing.

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i agree with this d. he seems to me to be the only one with the kind of expressive personality necessary for this. he's also, imo, the most talented player. so what's missing, following up dba's comments, is for him to bring it every night (okay, maybe he can take 1 in every 10 games and mail it in).

now, we've had four games in a row (no?) where he has brought it. and, last night against the hawks, there was an amazing play where he sprinted back to teh defensive end in transition and, i thinkn, got called for a pretty cheap foul. he talked calmly to bavetta about it and then just backed off. next play down he scored in the paint. i felt like i could see him working to master himself, to channel the energy.

i don't harbor delusions about some sort of 180 degree turnaround in someone sheed's age (and for whom his way of being has in his mind worked for him more often than not), but i do feel like i see maybe a 100 degree shift over the last few games and, after all, it's got to start somewhere and that's better than nothing.